The Complete Garden Design Course - 3. How To Design

Use a grid of squares to establish a unified garden layout, providing the underlying structure for paving, beds, and paths to create unity.

Explore limitless square-based designs by combining grid squares in symmetrical concentric, asymmetrical concentric, contiguous, and overlapping arrangements, using a base plan and drawing techniques.

Design a garden layout using a 1:100 grid to define boundaries, planting beds, paths, and features, with 13–16 squares and smaller near the house and larger farther away.

Create a garden layout by sketching overlapping squares to define voids, masses, and features, then visualize open spaces, connections to the house, and refined overlay-based designs.

Create a completed garden layout from a square-based composition, erasing lines to form voids, masses, and features, then plan dining areas, planting beds, and a pergola.

Apply a grid-based approach to design a garden layout, using 1x1 meter squares and 1:100 scale to balance voids, masses, and features, with iterative sketching, erasing, and overlaying.

Use figure-ground diagrams to map masses and voids, then explore how high, medium, and low enclosures shape feelings of coziness, privacy, and openness in garden spaces.

Sketch a garden design with pencil overlays on the plan, refine to a tracing line drawing, then add color and shadows to convey planting height and depth.

Learn to design a well-ordered garden with distinct spaces and clear routes, using a grid tied to the house and guiding views and focal points.

Explore a grid-based base plan garden layout, following demonstrated design stages that connect the house to the garden, using 2m and 1m grids to guide your own design.

Begin with a grid base plan and pencil sketches to map fixed elements, lawn, and a summer house, then use a regulating line from the house to frame vistas.

Sketch and place 4x4 and 6x6 spaces to form a sociable garden layout, align seating with doors, and hatch massing while planning routes, vistas, and focal points.

Create a concept plan by refining pencil sketches into a neat diagram through overlays on detail paper, marking major spaces, planting areas, vistas, focal points, and enclosures.

Develop a stage two garden layout using a grid-based square system to create focal points, water features, a summer house deck, herb garden, and tree placements along a defined vista.

Stage three transforms a square-based layout into defined garden spaces by raising lines, revealing lawn, herb beds, deck, and connecting paths, with massed planting and clear transitions.

Design a garden layout in stage 4 by finalizing ink drawing and pencil detailing on graph paper, placing seats, dining groups, and pergolas to frame views and create alfresco spaces.

Design a cohesive garden layout with timber arches and a central water feature. Emphasize four spaces—rose garden, herb garden, dining area, covered seating—through gravel, paving, and decking.

Create the final presentation drawing from the ink-on-tracing-paper draft, using shading and colour to render cast and surface shadows. Trace stages from the design grid to spaces and furniture.

The lecture shows achieving design aims by creating a sense of order with five linked spaces and distinctive garden zones, reinforcing house-garden connections through regulating lines and focal vistas.

Pause the presentation to create your own garden design using an a3 base plan print, choosing to copy the stage one layout or design freely without referring to the demonstration.

Introduce design constraints at 1:50 scale with 500 mm grids to plan a compact 14 by 12 m courtyard garden, emphasizing hedges, walls, and a level change with retaining walls.

Learn how to alter levels in small gardens to create enclosure with sunken spaces and retaining walls, including sheltered dining and seating on the walls.

Explore how designers use rough, quick sketches to shape a garden design, tracing a progression from initial scribbles to a detailed final plan while revealing the decisions behind each step.

Sketch a courtyard garden design that fulfills the owners' needs for outdoor entertaining, a sunken terrace, a quiet corner, a small allotment, and the sound of flowing water throughout.

Stage two refines the sunken terrace with steps, a three-pool water feature linked by a channel, and enclosing hedges, while expanding symmetry and axes toward the allotment arch.

Stage three demonstrates refining garden layouts by extending paths from the pool to form a vista, adding seats, hedges, and arches to distinguish the sunken terrace, quiet area, and allotments.

Stage 4 converts a freehand garden sketch into a precise pencil drawing with a parallel ruler, detailing sunken terrace, retaining walls, paths, and paving on the base plan.

Review a pencil plan traced in ink, detailing seating, stepping stones, plant containers on steps, the tree canopy, and a timber arch translated from the plan, with people for scale.

Trace and ink the garden design drawing from stage five using varied pen weights to depict levels and features. Add color and shadows to define planting, paving, and textures.

See how the design stages present the garden as a single entity, becoming more detailed and precise through an iterative process.

Evaluate how the courtyard garden uses order, a square grid, and design axes to unite spaces, create rhythm, balance, and focal points anchored to the house.

Transition from grid-based layouts to free-form garden design using rational decisions, designing the garden as a whole, and guided flow to reveal a garden gradually through curved paths and glimpses.

Imagine redesigning the 30-by-12-meter garden to suit a changing family, keeping the shed and rotary dryer while addressing the lack of focal points and path variation.

Explore free-form sketching to express design flow and break the rectilinear garden grid, using iterative overlays to coax a symmetrical ellipse and refine the layout.

Demonstrate turning a base garden plan into an informal, curved layout by sketching, placing planting toward the center, and creating a focal point while assessing cohesion and line of view.

The design demonstration evolves from a second iteration with a detailed overlay and three circles to a third iteration that uses ellipses for a looser, flowing layout.

Iteratively refine a garden layout by overlaying detail sketches, adjusting ellipses, peninsulas, and paths to create flow, enclosure, and varied views, while testing new features like a pool and arches.

During the sixth and seventh iterations, the designer refines bed layouts and paths on fresh paper, then produces a single-line, multi-texture presentation drawing to reveal garden vistas.

Follow an iterative garden design process that evolves from a symmetrical layout of circles to elliptical shapes, using overlays and exploratory sketches to refine and finalize with ink and color.

Assess the final garden design by comparing the finished layout to initial limitations, noting concealed features, a seating area, a focal point, and a winding path that enlivens the journey.

Pause the presentation to design your own garden using free form lines and shapes, following the demonstrated process. Explore options like internal spaces or ponds, or reproduce the final design.

Design a garden layout with a square grid to place circles and arcs. Center circles at grid intersections and use radii in whole squares, linking to house and door width.

Explore circles and arcs on a grid with a printable circle template and tracing paper. Learn concentric, asymmetrical, linked, overlapped, and merged layouts with radii in whole squares.

Explore compositions of circles and arcs by combining concentric, asymmetrical, linked, overlapping, and merged arrangements. Demonstrate using grid intersections, templates, tracing paper, and 12–14 circles to practice tangents and intersections.

Visualize a garden design by layering your circles and arcs over a sheet of detailed paper to explore paving, lawn, planting beds, a seating area, and a firepit.

Design a garden using circles and arcs, sketching a seating terrace, summerhouse, play area, and lawn on 22 by 34 meter base plan, with a circular path and two pools.

Design a garden using circles and arcs, refining space locations, paths, pools, and terraces to create a dramatic vista with concentric circles, a curved pergola, and balanced mass and void.

Stage three converts the garden sketch into a circle and arc layout anchored to a grid, using templates to define paths, terraces, and features with tangents and accuracy checks.

Redraw the stage four garden sketch precisely with rulers, circle stencils, and compasses to produce a final single-line plan, scalable on a grid for accurate full-size construction.

Create a drawing by tracing on tracing paper with art line 200 and uni pin pens, using varied line styles for beds, canopies, and paving, with grey felt tip shadows.

Master the art of garden design using circles and arcs on a square grid, compare color presentation with stage five drawings, and design your own plan with optional variations.

Align the garden grid at an angle to the boundary or house to create varied layouts, using a 1-meter grid and a sample design with paving and planting beds.

Design the garden as one entity, with all parts at the same design stage. See the big picture first, then refine toward a final layout using masses, voids, and hatching.

Design enclosure heights—from at least 1700 millimetres high to as low as 1600 millimetres—to shape views and privacy, then cultivate diverse space characters through planting, materials, and layout.

Design a garden that flows by gradually revealing views and focal points, guiding visitors along a winding path through semi-enclosed spaces, while aligning elements along design axes.

Learn how to design gardens around vistas and focal points, connect house to garden, and avoid arbitrariness through rational, iterative design processes from concept to final layouts.

Identify and collect design inspiration from magazines, books, television gardening shows, historic gardens, nurseries, and everyday observations; capture ideas with photos, sketches, and a systematic filing system for later use.

Follow the process of garden design in the complete course, with a step-by-step procedure tracing stages from the first visit to the garden plot to the illustrated garden design plan.